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A white cauliflower head with a compact curd and surrounding green leaves.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower produces a compact head of immature flower clusters, called a curd, in white and coloured varieties.

What you eat
Compact immature flower clusters
Head colours
White, orange, green or purple

Types and forms

White-headed types

Characteristics
White curd

Orange-headed types

Characteristics
Orange curd

Green-headed types

Characteristics
Green curd

Purple-headed types

Characteristics
Purple curd
White-headed typesOrange-headed typesGreen-headed typesPurple-headed types
CharacteristicsWhite curdOrange curdGreen curdPurple curd

Try it in the kitchen

Roast cauliflower florets with olive oil and serve them with capers, or add small raw florets to a salad. Choose the preparation before cutting the head, so the pieces have the size you want on the plate.

Boiled cauliflower is among the vegetables served with Piemonte’s bagna cauda, ready to dip into the garlic-and-anchovy sauce.

Cook with it

Check the colour and type

White is one cauliflower colour, rather than the definition of the whole crop. Check the variety when you want a particular coloured head.

A few surrounding leaves

The Royal Horticultural Society advises keeping harvested cauliflower refrigerated and retaining a few surrounding leaves to help protect the head. Follow any handling instructions supplied with the food you buy.

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